Tag Archives: cheap

Raw, lactose-free banana soft serve

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I’ll put up some photos from the trip later, but I’m lazy and need to get to the gym so my quick update will be… banana ice cream! I saw this “recipe” on KERF who got it from Choosing Raw, and I had some bananas I wasn’t going to eat before they went bad, so I stuck them in the freezer and forgot about them for about a week.

I’ve never been a huge banana fan, but I’ve been a convert since they are so cheap and I’m on such a tight budget and i don’t feel as guilty for not buying them organic.

So, with my frozen bananas peeled and chopped, I popped them in my mini-food processor and voila..

Raw, lactose-free banana soft serve

Raw, lactose-free banana soft serve

Raw, lactose-free banana soft serve

Raw, lactose-free banana soft serve

Stuff I like … whole grains

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Bob's Red Mill Five Grain cereal

Bob's Red Mill Five Grain cereal

Even though I am my mother’s child, meaning an ingrained belief that carbs are inherently evil, there are healthy ones out there. Oxygen recommends picking whole grains in their most natural forms without added sugars. I was never a huge oatmeal fan growing up, but as I started trying to eat more healthy foods, I’ve tried to keep an open mind.  If you ever read any health or fitness books, magazines or Web sites, you will see that oatmeal is recommended almost across the board. It’s filling, inexpensive and easy to modify.

This morning I had Bob’s Red Mill Five grain rolled cereal with flaxseed, which according to their website is “just like oatmeal, only better.”  Unlike most of the oatmeal you get in the packets, this doesn’t have a lot off extra added ingredients or chemicals. I had a box of Quaker Oats in my pantry that has been sitting there for a while for comparison.

oatmealnutrition

On the left, Quaker Cinnamon oatmeal. On the right, Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain cereal

On the left, Quaker Cinnamon oatmeal. On the right, Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain cereal

On the left, Quaker Cinnamon oatmeal. On the right, Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain cereal

 I cooked some of the cereal this morning with blueberries and strawberries. The whole thing was about 150 calories, but it was filling and provided whole grains and fruit. One of my favorite food blogs, Kath Eats Real Food has a whole section devoted to different ways to enjoy oatmeal that is definitely worth checking out, even if you don’t consider yourself an oatmeal eater.

Hot cereal and fruit with a little agave nectar for sweetness

Hot cereal and fruit with a little agave nectar for sweetness

And extra strawberries for later!

And extra strawberries for later!

“But you won’t be able to watch TNT… or… Spike.”

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So, after much deliberation, I decided to downgrade my TV instead of getting rid of it all-together. After a lengthy conversation with Jerry at TWC today about everything from how having a land line phone helped save his son’s life and how for only $6 more a month I could upgrade my internet and cable, I finally was able to talk them into lowering my TV package to the most basic local channels. (For their part, the customer service representatives I talked to today were really nice. I guess it is only the bill disputes that bring out the frustrating qualities. Because one of my best friends works in call center customer service, I try to keep in mind that the person on the other end of the phone isn’t out to get me. Probably. But, I also keep in mind that they can usually do a lot more than they will offer you at first, which I guess is why Lizzie V. TWC happened the first time when my bill kept mysteriously rising.)

So, as of Friday, I will be back in 1980, or whenever it was people didn’t have 600 cable channels. Jerry tried to convince me to upgrade by pointing out all the greatness I’ll be missing by only getting local channels. “But, you won’t be able to watch TNT… or.. Spike.” Jerry, do I sound like a person who watches Spike TV? For those who don’t know me, I’m more likely to be mistaken for a child on the phone than someone in the manly-tv demo.

I think having the basic channels will still help me focus on doing stuff other than watching TV. Jerry was right, I won’t be able to watch TNT or Spike, so I will be less likely to procrastinate. But, I was just too afraid of the quietness of having no TV.

In other money-saving-cheapo news, I’ve done a pretty good job of limiting my purchases this month. Carlton bought me a Polar watch for working out that I had asked for. So, technically, I saved money but I don’t think it limits your carbon footprint if you just get someone else to buy it. My only real non-food purchase was three books from half.com.

In the “Buy nothing new” movement, people often use sites like half.com, ebay and freecycle to buy things so that they are reusing something  instead of buying something completely new. I think buying nothing new is more realistic for me than buying nothing at all. But, I ended up buying  a Jen Lancaster book (that they don’t have at the library, and that I think will make great vacation reading. She is hilarious.); Not Buying It by Judith Levine that I talked about here before. I had gotten it from the library first, but I decided it would be good for my collection; and Give It Up!: My Year of Learning to Live Better With Less by Mary Carlamagno because it was recommended for people who liked Not Buying It, and it was offered from the same seller, which meant I got a discount on shipping.  All three of those, plus shipping were about $15.

I’m working on a page of my news designs for this blog.  It is a work in progress since I’m still figuring out WP, but check in. This especially goes to everyone who still has no idea what a copy editor/page designer actually does.

Stuff I like … Tasty Bite!

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Tasty Bite actually IS tasty, imagine that! This is the Jaipur Vegetables with Kashi's 7 grain pilaf.

Tasty Bite actually IS tasty, imagine that! This is the Jaipur Vegetables with Kashi's 7 grain pilaf.

In my quest to find cheap and healthy (and easy) food, I’ve started eating Tasty Bite indian food. Harris Teeter has had lots of sales in the past few months, and unlike most processed Asian or Latin foods, these products are surprisingly healthy. They are vegetarian, and many are even vegan, kosher and gluten-free options.

I like them because they are quick and easy to make (usually in the microwave in about 90 seconds), and are pretty healthy. Most that I’ve chosen have had between 150-200 calories per serving, and they actually tasted good, not like “healthy” food. You can check out some of their other products here.

 

tasty2

Stuff I like.. vegetables in the morning

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Scrambled egg whites and peppers

Scrambled egg whites and peppers

 

For some reason, I get a lot of comments on what I eat. I think the contrast of junk food and healthy food is what calls attention to it. (Obviously, cutting down on the junk food is the ultimate goal.) But, my roommates have always looked kind of horrified at the healthy stuff, especially in the mornings. I admit fish and broccoli in the A.M. probably doesn’t have the same aroma as say… coffee and pancakes, but I’ve always had weird tastes for things.

Anyway, keeping with the theme of healthy and cheap eating, I made egg whites scrambled with peppers this morning. The government recommends getting five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, and so it’s easier to get all those in if you start in the morning!

Other ways to get vegetables with breakfast:

- Vegetable omelets or frittatas 

- Adding vegetables to your fruit smoothies

- Adding chopped raw vegetables like carrots as a side to your normal breakfast (I know this sounds weird, but I actually do this.)

- Adding pumpkin to yogurt or cooking it into low fat muffins

Stuff I like .. indoor grilling

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Indoor grilled zucchini

Indoor grilled zucchini

 

I’m sure real “grill masters” would scoff at my little George Foreman, but it gets the job done for me. I’m usually cooking for one (or two, me and myself later) in my little apartment, and it doesn’t make sense for me to actually grill with fire or coal. Actually, considering my track record in life, it doesn’t make much sense safety-wise either.  

Anyway, those zucchini + Kashi 7 grain pilaf  were a cheap, healthy lunch. As I cut back on expenses, I’m also cutting out most meat/animal products. I think thats another decision that has a positive impact on lots of different areas besides my wallet like the environment and overall health.

The bright side of my own personal recession

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This is the kind of junk that I've wasted my money on.

 

 

This is the kind of junk that I've wasted my money on.

My roommate is moving out this month, which means that a large chunk of money will be going to paying bills. I could think of a million better ways to spend that money, but in the year that she’s lived here, I’ve found lots of wasteful ways to spend the money.

So, the bright side of my personal recession is that I have to stop spending frivolously. I’ve read that businesses benefit from economic downturns because it forces them to “trim the fat” and operate more efficiently. Living that at work is not so fun, only because what the big guys deem wasteful spending, the rest of us actually.. well, need. Like enough reporters, editors and photographers to put out a paper.

But, in my own life, I know I won’t be losing necessities. I’m lucky enough to know that I’ll always have food, water, shelter, electricity. However, as you can see from the picture at the beginning of the post, I have a lot of areas of wasteful spending that can be cut back, and I’m actually kind of excited about using what I have and being content with it. 

I’m reading “Not Buying It” by Judith Levine about her year without shopping. I’ve been interested in the “buy nothing new” movement for a long time, but things always came up, and it was always easier to entertain myself by buying a few cheap-somethings, than it was to find meaningful things to do with my time and money. She makes a lot of good points about the culture of consumerism.  So far, I’ve made it 8 days without buying anything other than food and toiletries (necessities, nail polish not included).

There are lots of benefits besides saving money. For one, it uses less resources and decreases my carbon foot print. Second, it helps me get rid of some of the extra things that I have around here and help figure out what I need and what I don’t. 

My dad is a notorious “Buy one, get one free” shopper. He loves deals, and I think he buys things just because they are on sale. I have to admit that I will buy things I need when they are on sale in much larger quantities than I actually need. I think we inherited this quality from my grandfather, who has the Great Depression to blame for his stocking up habits. We cleaned up his kitchen after he died and found boxes upon boxes of zip lock bags  and pounds upon pounds of sugar. I guess he never wanted to run out.

Anyway, this month, in an effort to spend money more wisely and appreciate what I have,  I am:

  • Not buying anything new EXCEPT a present for Father’s Day/my Dad’s birthday
  • Limiting my dining out and making most meals at home
  • Buying groceries based on price/healthiness instead of just impulse
  • Use more of what I have, going through and getting rid of what I don’t need

 

Anyone need any nail polish? I've got some to spare.

Anyone need any nail polish? I've got some to spare.